


'Til the Last Rose

by perfectpro



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:56:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29640567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perfectpro/pseuds/perfectpro
Summary: Caroline is a single florist working on Valentine's Day, and Klaus comes into her shop by chance.
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson
Comments: 6
Kudos: 67





	'Til the Last Rose

**Author's Note:**

> I saw [this post](https://boringangel.tumblr.com/post/190553634228/these-are-the-valentines-day-hours-on-the-website) on Tumblr and couldn't get it out of my head
> 
> Happy belated Valentine's!

Caroline comes in early that morning to open the shop, practically sprinting from the car to the door. Her umbrella catches most of the rain, but her curls are still damp by the time she gets inside. She’d typically wait an hour to let the shower come to an end, but Valentine’s is her busiest day of the year. Coming in early is mandatory.

Deliveries are scheduled throughout the morning, trying to beat workers to the office. Not all of them are romantic, some of them are being sent to nursing homes from children to their aging parents. Most of them use roses as the standard base, but a few partners asked for more unusual blooms.

Stargazer lilies in an arrangement with white alstroemeria. Blue and purple hydrangeas grouped together to make a complete hemisphere with greenery at the bottom. Pink tulips spread out with pale irises serving as the filler. Specifications have been made down to the vase the bouquets will arrive in and the ribbon that will tie the card on. 

Valentine’s Day is her busiest day of the year, but it’s also the day that lets Caroline stretch her creativity and ambitions. She could assemble a dozen red roses with baby’s breath in her sleep, but she likes to go the extra mile for the clients who know what they want.

By the time she turns on the ‘Open’ sign in the front window, she’s prepared a few dozen single rose stems for the last-minute buyers, the guys who realize they’re going to be in the doghouse if they forget to come home with something. The stand with cards has been rotated to have sympathy and birthday cards on the bottom, the top tiers primarily lined with romantic sentiments. 

The phone goes off only a few minutes after eight, and Caroline steels herself for customer service, praying that it isn’t someone who forgot what February 14th meant and wants something bigger and better than everyone else’s wife will have delivered to the office.

“Flower by Forbes, this is Caroline speaking. Happy Valentine’s Day!” she chirps, grabbing her notepad.

“Hello, love, I’m calling about an order for today. Trying to work out a time that it can be delivered,” a charming British voice tells her.

Caroline scrolls through her records as she places the name. “Let me pull that up, Kol,” she answers. Kol is one of her best customers, and Davina is probably the reason that she’s been able to replace most of her display stands in addition to getting a new refrigerator for the orders she makes ahead of time.

It takes her a second, because Kol isn’t the only Mikaelson who she has something for today. In addition to Kol’s order of fuchsia Asiatic lilies with pink spray roses and greenery for Davina, Elijah Mikaelson has requested two dozen long-stemmed roses in the deepest red she has, half-wrapped in parchment paper and tied with twine, accompanied by a note to be delivered to a woman named Katherine. 

“You said you wanted to know when it would be delivered?” She hates to disappoint customers, especially a regular like Kol. “I don’t have this marked for delivery, it’s for pick up.”

“That’s what I was afraid of. My assistant and I had a little mix up, see, as I have meetings all day and can’t make it out. Davina and I are meeting for dinner after work, and your shop just so happens to be on the other side of town from her favorite restaurant. Do you think there’s any way you could get it out the door to her office? I’ve got the address here,” he assures her as though Caroline doesn’t keep notes on her regulars for in case of an emergency.

She purses her lips and checks the list, wincing when it’s as tight as expected. “We don’t have any extra space in the schedule. I’m so sorry about the mix up with your assistant.”

He scoffs audibly. “No need to apologize. She’s already been fired.” He plows forward, not taking into account how Caroline gasps at the news. “I’ll pull some strings, see if I can get things straightened out. Can’t have the fiancée go without flowers today, after all.”

Pushing aside how Kol apparently fired his assistant over something like forgetting to ask for a bouquet to be delivered instead of picked up, she tries to come up with a solution. She’s been saving up to expand the display area and she’s been secretly hoping that Kol will ask her to do the flowers for his and Davina’s upcoming wedding. 

“If you find someone who can pick them up for you, that would work,” she suggests, keeping on eye on the front door. A college-age looking guy has just wandered in and is eyeing one of the generic selections of roses, but he doesn’t look like he’s ready to commit yet.

Kol pauses, and then says, “I’ll see if one of my brothers can come by. If either Elijah or Nik comes in, feel free to pass it off to them. What time do you close up shop tonight?”

“We're open 'til the last rose,” she answers him, because locking up early on Valentine’s is just leaving money on the table.

“Nonsense, love. What time do you need to be home to prepare for whatever stunningly romantic plan will keep you occupied this evening?” he presses.

Being single on Valentine’s as a florist isn’t bad, because she loves to see how happy she can make her clients, but the end of the night can still be lonely. “No plans, tell them to come by whenever. We’ll make sure Davina gets her lilies; don’t worry.”

With that, she hangs up the phone and waves over to the college kid who was just looking at the door. “Hi, welcome to Flowers by Forbes! What can I get for you today?”

-x-

Her day becomes a whirlwind of activity after that. Between making sure the delivery driver has the proper orders and addresses ready to go and trying to steer a well-meaning man away from yellow carnations to give to his girlfriend for her proposal (“Yellow means friendship,” she informs him, “is that really the type of mood you’re trying to set yourself up for?”), fulfilling the centerpieces for a local restaurant’s special Valentine’s dinner has her too busy to total up sales for the day.

Business is booming. She knows that much.

Turning when she hears the bell chime at another customer’s entry, she finds herself staring into a pair of cerulean blue eyes, so deep that she has to look away before she finds herself in a trance. Okay, so maybe being single on Valentine’s day and helping support so much blossoming love is getting to her more than she’s willing to admit.

“Hi, I’m Caroline, how can I help you?” she asks, trying to focus and not mentally tally how many bouquets she needs to replace at the window. It’s only lunchtime, plenty of people will swing by on their break, and she needs to make sure she’ll well-stocked.

The man with the amazing eyes smiles in this slow and seductive way that has her weak in the knees. 

Which is bad. Today is Valentine’s Day, she is a florist, and he’s probably here to buy a lush display to give to the type of girl who probably doesn’t sing off-key in the shower to hits from her high school years. The type of girl who would prefer red roses to a more thoughtfully picked bouquet.

“I hope so. I’m picking up an order for Kol Mikaelson,” he tells her, his accent giving him away even if he hadn’t just stated he was here for Kol’s shipment.

She feels slightly less gross for finding him so attractive now. Grabbing her notepad, she reads the name that Kol had called back to give her. “Klaus?” she checks, already opening the glass door to the refrigerator to grab Davina’s lilies. 

“The one and only.” He smiles at her again, running a hand through his dark blonde hair. 

No wedding ring, she notes, suddenly curious to know more.

“They’re already paid for, but if you could just sign here for pick up.” She passes her clipboard over and notes which line needs his attention. “Is there anything else I can do for you today?”

“No, this will be all. I only owed my brother the one favor.” Klaus scrawls his signature and looks around the rest of the shop. “It’s a nice place; are you the owner?”

Adjusting a few of the roses to make sure they’re standing up straight, she nods. “I set up a few years ago.”

The first year had been the hardest by far. The business aspect was still new to her in spite of all the classes she’d taken in college. She’d thought about throwing in the towel, selling the place and staying on to just work as an assistant who didn’t have to worry about ordering in season and staying in budget. Sticking it out has proved to be the most worthwhile decision she’s ever made.

He nods thoughtfully, looking through the stand of single roses that has already been picked over fairly well. “I know; I own the art studio down the street.” He points out the window to the gallery that Caroline passes every morning on her way to work and has never stepped foot inside.

“Oh, we’re like neighbors.” She smiles, taking back the clipboard and pushing the vase of lilies across the counter. Before she can lose her nerve, she asks, “Are you sure you don’t need anything else? Better to buy a bouquet here instead of the grocery store. My flowers still have their petals in the morning.”

That slow smile comes back, spreading across his features in a striking manner. “Well, if you insist. What type of arrangement do you think would be best?”

Her answering smile is forced, but she reminds herself that she literally brought this upon herself. Of course the beautiful man who comes into her shop on Valentine’s Day already has a girlfriend. “Roses are classic for a reason,” she tells him, not mentioning that she personally finds them to be overused in displays of romantic affection.

“There is a certain timelessness to them,” he agrees, but he wanders over to see the selection of other flowers that she has available. “A bit cliché, though, for my tastes. What would you want?”

Swallowing down the rest of her disappointment, she focuses on being a professional, on providing a service. “I like daisies,” she says at last, drifting over to the bucket, sorting through them to find similarly-sized blooms. “With baby’s breath and sprigs of solidago and lavender to give the silhouette some volume.”

He’s watching her when she turns back around, and there’s a depth of intensity to his eyes that wasn’t there before, not even when she’d first gazed into them.

“That sounds perfect. Could you make me one of those?” Klaus asks, because of course he’s the perfect guy even when it comes to floral displays.

Caroline nods, pulling out the daisies and busies herself with trimming them evenly. She picks a vase with a large base to let the daisies fan out further, and then places the spray of accent blooms around them to give it a fuller appearance. 

When she finishes, it’s lovely. The exact type of thing that she would want to receive. 

“Here’s your total,” she announces when she’s rung it up, swiping his card and rushing to get the transaction over and done with. Bad enough that she had to find out that tall, blonde, and cheekbones has a girlfriend. Worse to know that girlfriend will be receiving the type of bouquet that she’d want.

Klaus passes over his credit card and signs off before gathering the vase for Davina in one arm, taking care to not damage any of the petals. “Thank you very much, Caroline.”

It takes her a moment to come to her sense, but she calls out before he’s out the door, “Wait! You forgot your bouquet.” She holds the daisies up and carries them out and around the counter. 

He opens the door, laughing quietly in this way that is only enhanced by the shop’s bell going off. “No, I didn’t. They’re for you.”

With that, he’s out the door, leaving her holding a bouquet of flowers and wondering what kind of person is allowed to storm into her life and be so perfect.

-x-

While the entire day is busy for her, nothing compares to the after-work rush. People on their way home to partners practically sprint through the door to grab a bouquet, a card, and a miniature box of chocolates. Her stock is running low, but not drastically, a sign that she actually ordered the right amount for once.

This upcoming week will be the first since she’s been in business where the week after won’t be selling bouquets made of drooping roses at half-price. 

Caroline smiles with pride as she rings up a dad on his way home. Pink tulips for his wife and a single rose for each of their three daughters. The people who go out of their way to buy flowers for partners they’ve been with for years are always the sweetest to help. Romance is easy to blossom when it’s new, but it still needs to be nurtured as time passes. 

“Have a great day,” she calls as he steps out, turning to help the next person in line. This time it’s a college girl who requests a dozen irises in the most vibrant colors that she has, followed by a young mother with a toddler balanced on her hip who’s just ducked in to grab a card.

This is why Caroline loves Valentine’s Day, even when she doesn’t have anyone to celebrate with. Her costumers are always smiling – some shyly as they dip out with a bouquet, other beaming when they come to pick up an order. Some of them come in carrying giant stuffed animals, and a few of them ask her for suggestions to put in their cards. Happiness permeates the air, and she stays busy enough that she doesn’t usually feel lonely until she’s locked up for the night.

All of the preorders she made have either been delivered or picked up already, so she puts on some upbeat music to keep herself entertained as she regroups the remaining bouquets, trying to place them so that there aren’t empty spaces between too many of them.

“L is for the way you look me,” she sings under her breath, filling up a vase with water.

A playlist best suited for romance, but for now she’s content to sing to herself and sway to the music while taking care of business. She’ll probably head home in an hour or so with the way business has been going. There isn’t that much left, and she’s almost completely sold out of roses.

Her evening plans consist of a bubble bath, a face mask, and possibly a pedicure. At least she can romance herself, even if no one else will.

The shop bell goes off and brings her out of her daydreams, and she spins around to find Klaus standing at the door, smiling absentmindedly.

“Klaus, hi,” she breathes, embarrassed and wondering whether he saw her dancing by herself through the windows. Something she’s never thought twice about before, but that was before she knew she had a hot artist neighbor up the street.

“Hello, love,” he greets her, and Caroline finds herself helpless to do anything but return the smile he’s offering her. “I was wondering when you closed up shop tonight.”

She glances around the room, taking stock of what remains. There isn’t too much leftover, but she knows that leaving early would just be letting profits pass her by. “I’m here until the last rose,” she tells him, motioning to the display at the window.

His eyes crinkle with amusement as he takes her in, and it’s only then that she realizes she has her hair pinned up with a stray carnation. “I was hoping to take you to dinner, but you’re a very dedicated businesswoman.”

The beat that her heart skips means that it takes her an extra moment to realize what he’s said. He buys her flowers (her favorite flowers! on Valentine’s day!) and then reappears to ask her to dinner. Men with charming accents and deep blue eyes and beautiful cheekbones shouldn’t be allowed to exist in the first place, much less to have other endearing qualities on top of those.

Her mouth opens, but she can’t make anything come out. She’s so surprised that it feels like this is a scene from a movie, something that would happen to Reese Witherspoon or Mandy Moore, but never in real life, never to her.

“If you’re that devoted to your principles, though, I suppose I’ll have to let you keep them. I’ll buy every last rose you have,” he says, picking up a bouquet and holding it out like a peace offering.

She’s pretty sure her eyes are ready to bulge out of their sockets. “You can’t buy every rose,” she protests, but it’s weak even to her own ears.

Klaus shrugs, adding another few arrangements to the growing pile in his arms. “I know they’re not your favorite, but if that’s what I need to do to get you to agree to dinner, so be it.” His smile turns wicked in the best sense, shifting into a smirk, and Caroline looks over at the daisies still on display at the counter.

“You can’t just… Do this. You don’t even know me.” She wrings her hands and motions around them, trying to encompass all of her feelings about it into such a simple gesture.

“I know, but I’d like to. Hence the dinner invitation.” He moves onto the single roses, plucking them out of the water and trying to fit as many of them into his hand.  
There aren’t that many of those left, so he manages to get all of them. His arms weighed down with roses of all types, he stands before her with a simple smile. “So, what do you say?”

Her mouth goes dry, because this is the stuff that her favorite romantic comedies are made of.

He pauses with a guilty look. “I have to ask in case I’m making a complete idiot of myself, but did I read too much into our previous interaction? If you were just doing your job, say so and I’ll be on my way. With far too many flowers for one person, but so be it.”

Caroline manages to get control of her faculties and blurts out, “Yes! I mean, yes to dinner. I would like to go to dinner with you. You didn’t read too much into it.” Her face feels hot, and she knows that her cheeks must be as red as the roses he’s holding.

Klaus grins. “Good, then. Why don’t you ring me up and we can be on our way?”

“You can’t be serious,” she says at last, because who walks into a flower shop on Valentine’s Day and buys up every last rose?

“Quite serious, I’m afraid. I’d hate to think I let you miss out on any business opportunities,” he says, and he gives her a pointed look towards the register.

For a lack of anything to say, she goes, and when he doesn’t offer up any protests, she prices each of them and then accepts the credit card that he passes over. “What are you going to do with these?” she asks at last, because there are too many of them even if he’s planning on decorating his gallery and studio with them.

A brief look of confusion passes over his face, as though he hadn’t thought about it, had just made the offer as impulsively as he’d asked her to make to bouquet of daisies earlier.

“We can pass them out on the walk to the restaurant,” he decides, and Caroline shakes her head in astonishment as she pulls on her jacket.

The restaurant he’s chosen is only two blocks away, and they pass single roses to children and bouquets to their parents on their way over. When Klaus hands a bouquet to an older woman sitting at the bus stop, Caroline thinks that she never would have expected for her day to go in this direction.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr at [helpless-in-sleep](https://helpless-in-sleep.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
